The Viagras, the Sierra Santana Brothers' Clan and Their Trail of Blood in Tierra Caliente

"Sol Prendido" for Borderland

The Viagras cartel, founded by the Sierra Santana brothers, is one of the most feared criminal organizations in Michoacán.

Founded by the Sierra Santana brothers in the heart of Michoacán's Tierra Caliente region, the Viagras Cartel is one of the most feared criminal organizations in the country. It has even been classified as a "terrorist" organization by the current United States government.

The Viagras emerged between 2013 and 2014 as a splinter group of Michoacán's self-defense groups, which were born to confront the subjugation and abuses of the Knights Templar Cartel.

Initially, these groups were supported by the federal government to combat the Knights Templar. However, over time, many of these groups evolved into criminal organizations, and the Viagras were no exception.

Their name comes from a nickname related to one of the brothers' excessive use of hair gel, which drew comparisons to the erectile dysfunction pill.

In December 2014, the Viagras took control of the municipality of Apatzingán, sparking a confrontation with the Federal Police on January 6, 2015, which left 10 civilians dead and 21 wounded.

The Sierra Santana brothers, cartel leaders

Nicolás Sierra Santana, "El Gordo" or "El Coruco", leader of the Los Viagras Cartel.

The Sierra Santana brothers are considered the founders and main leaders of Los Viagras. Nicolás Sierra Santana, "El Gordo" or "El Coruco," has been identified as the cartel's main leader.

However, intelligence reports place Rodolfo Sierra Santana, "La Teresa," as the true leader of the criminal group, and he has maintained a lower profile.

Rodolfo Sierra Santana was identified in a video published in 2013, in which he appears meeting with Servando Gómez Martínez, "La Tuta," the detained leader of Los Caballeros Templarios, for whom he worked as a hitman for his group.

Unofficially, reports indicated his presumed death in an ambush in May 2024, although this information has not been officially confirmed.

Daniel Sierra Santana, known as "El Chaco," was identified as a cartel boss in Tumbiscatío and allegedly died in January 2024 after stepping on a mine, according to local reports.

Juan Carlos Sierra Santana, known as "La Sopa," was identified as a cartel boss in the Bajío region of Michoacán and served as the leader of one of the armed wings of Los Viagras, La Nueva Familia Michoacana. He died in a confrontation with the CJNG in 2019.

Gabino Sierra Santana, known as "El Ingeniero," is currently a fugitive from justice, but was reportedly arrested in security operations in 2018 and 2019.

Key Operators and Leaders of the Viagras Cartel

In addition to the Sierra Santana brothers, founders of the Viagras Cartel, the cartel has a hierarchical structure that includes several key operators and leaders, including Heladio Cisneros Flores, known as "La Sirena," who is presumed to be the actual killer of the self-defense group's founder, Hipólito Mora Chávez. La Sirena is identified as a high-ranking operative linked to the group.

Also identified is César Alejandro Sepúlveda Arellano, known as "El Bótox," leader of the Los Blancos de Troya Cartel, a group that operates as the armed wing of Los Viagras, primarily in Cenobio Moreno, Apatzingán municipality, but which extends its activities to Buenavista and Tepalcatepec.

Iván García Salgado, “El Ratón,” who was identified as his second-in-command and arrested in operations in 2018. Omar Faburrieta Pérez, “El Gordo,” was arrested in operations in 2018 and 2020.

The aforementioned have been key to the cartel's operations, participating in activities such as extortion, drug trafficking, and clashes with other criminal groups.

Territory and Criminal Activities of Los Viagras

Los Viagras operate primarily in the municipalities of Apatzingán, Buenavista, Tepalcatepec, Tumbiscatío, Uruapan, Jacona, Zamora, and Sahuayo, although intelligence reports indicate that their influence also extends to the states of Guerrero and the State of Mexico.

Among the criminal activities they are accused of include drug trafficking, particularly methamphetamines, fentanyl, and heroin; extortion of agricultural producers, especially lemon producers, and local businesspeople and merchants; as well as murders linked to disputes with other groups aimed at consolidating their power in the region.

The use of minors and women as human shields in confrontations, as well as in roadblocks and demonstrations, has also been reported, in what authorities refer to as the criminal group's "social base."

Alliances and rival cartels of Los Viagras

Los Viagras have established various alliances and rivalries with other criminal groups. Among these alliances are cells operating for them, such as the Nueva Familia Michoacana; the Blancos de Troya; and the Guardia Michoacana. At one point, they belonged to Cárteles Unidos, a group that brought together criminal associations from the states of Michoacán, Guerrero, and Guanajuato to combat the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), with whom they established an alliance in August of last year.

At one time, the Jalisco New Generation Cartel was their main rival, with whom they maintained a dispute over criminal operations in several regions and municipalities across Michoacán. However, they are currently allies in the fight against the United Cartels, a group that, in the state, includes the Tepalcatepec Cartel, led by Juan José Farías Álvarez, known as "El Abuelo Farías," and the Reyes Cartel, headed by Alfonso Fernández Magallón, known as "Poncho La Quiringua," and Luis Enrique Barragán Chávez, known as "Güicho de Los Reyes" or "El R5."

In addition to the United Cartels, Los Viagras also compete for criminal operations in Apatzingán against the remnants of the Knights Templar Cartel. Although they were initially allies, they currently act as rivals.

Michoacán, México 

Source: Contramuro